Time-piece dial



(No Model.)

M. V. B. ETHRIDGE.

TIME PIECE DIAL. No. 395,696. Patented Jan. 8, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

MARTIN V. B. ETHRIDGE, OE BOSTON, MASSAClflUSErlVlS, ASSGNOR OE TVO- THIRDS TO JOHN SQVANN, OE NEV YORK, I. Y., AND HENRY E. YATE,

OF TEST NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TiMEeIEeE DIAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 395,696, dated January 8, 1889.

Application tiled January 18, 1888. Serial No. 261,080. (No model.)

To all whom, it' may concern;

Be it known that I, MARTIN Y. B. ETH- RIDGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time-Piece Dials 5 and I do hereby declare the following' to be a full, clear, and exact description of the in.- vention, such as will enable others skilled in 1o the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention pertains to time-keepers of whatever kind, class, or name, it being applicable to clocks, watches, chronometers, and all analogous devices.

The object of the invention is to facilitate the observation of time according to that system which reckons the twenty-four hours of the day from one up to twenty-four, continuzo ously. lt embraces mechanism for automat-ically shifting or imparting a partial rotation to the inner one of two dial-plates, of which the outeris pro vided with twelve equidistant slots or openings, while the inner has delineated 2 5 thereon the numerals, which are displayed to view throug'h said slots or opening's, in the manner to be hereinafter stated.

The invention further includes certain details in the structure, combination, and ar- 3o rangement of the mechanical parts, substantially as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure l is a face view or front view of a time-piece with a portion of the outer and inner dial-plates broken away, as shown, so as to clearly representmy improved mechanism .for automatically shifting the inner dial. Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing 4o the same parts.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding' parts in both views.

A denotes the outer or front dial, or part which occupies the place of the ordinary dial.

This dial is stationary. It is provided with slots or openings a o, arranged in a circular series near the circumference, said slots or openings being uniformly spaced and sized and equidistant from each other, and located 5o in the usual position of the twelve numerals that are ordinarily marked on the dials of time-pieces. The slots or openings u u may be of any shape and size desired, their pui'- pose and function being to display through them numerals` which are marked on the in- 5 ner dial. liurthermore, it may be remarked that the outer dial-plate, A, may be variously constructed, it being only essential that it shall cover and conceal certain of the figures upon the inner dial while it is permitting 6o others of these figures to be visible.

Behind the outer dial a second inner dialplate, Y, is suitably mounted, so as to be eapable oi' turning or oscillating upon its center. 6-

A preferable mode of supporting this dial is to loosely mount it on the collar l), which surrounds the hour-hand sleeve. Upon the face of the inner dial, Y, is printed or otherwise produced a set of figures running from 7o l to l2, consecutively, said ligures being so arranged that when the dial is in one position these figures will be exhibited through the openings o in the outer plate. Another set of figures, ruiming from i3 to 2t, are likewise 7 indicated upon the plate Y, said second series of figures being arranged in intermediate positions between the members of the first series, as will be perceived by inspection of Fig. l, where the series of figures from l to l2 are 8o shown in full lines, in plain view, through the apertures in the outer dial, while the series of figures from i3 to 2l are shown in dotted lines, the position of the dial being such at this time that the second series of figures are 8F concealed beneath the outer plate. Thus it will be readily apparent, without further amplifying thc description of these parts, that when t-he inner dial occupies one position the series of iigures from l to l2 will be observed, 9o while when it has been shifted to occupy another position the series of .figures from 13 to 2l may be apparent. The shitting of the dial will therefore be by a forward and backward movement within narrow extremes, for the amount of turning motion requisite for the inner dial to accomplish its oscillation will be about one twenty-fourth of a revolution.

I will now describe the mechanism whereby the inner dial is automatically oscillated at roo the end of each half day, shifting the dial` plate forward in the direction indicated b y the arrow at one oscillation and in the rcverse direction at its next oscillation.

A rod, C, bent into a loop shape, subst-antially like that shown in Fig. 2, so that it may have a portion to serve as a slide for the weight B, is attached to the rear side of the inner dial-plate, Y, and is located to the right of the central support of said dial. Likewise, firmly secured to the inner dial, are arms X and XV. These arms project outwardly from the dial, as shown in Fig. 2, and are properly positioned with respect to theadjacent parts, as l shall presently more particularly specify. They are on the opposite side of the center of the dial to that where the rod C is placed. On the same side of the supporting-point of the dial Y a weight, D, is carried thereby. I preferably locate this weight in juxtaposition to the arm X, as will be seen at D, Fig. l; but it may be stationed at a different point, if desired.

A gear, F, is fixed to the hour-hand sleeve so as to revolve therewith once in twelve hours. This gear meshes with a larger gear, G, which revolves once in twenty-four hours. To the gear G is secured a cam, ll. The shape of the cam is shown in Fig. l. lt has a curved outline which is parallel to the circumference of the gear G, said outline terminatin in an upper point, K, and a lower point, N, the lower point being opposite to the upper and beneath it when the gear is in the position shown. The points K and N of the cam, in addition to being connected by the sym metrically-curved outline thereof just referred to, are also connected by an irregular outline on the other edge of the cam. rlhe cam H rotates in contact with the ends of the arms X and A connecting-rod, l, extends between the cam l-l and the sliding weight B on the rod C, said connecting-rod being pivoted to both cam and weight. lt is preferably of the form shown, comprising a sort of frame that incloses the hour-hand sleeve.

Various modifications in the forms and proportions and in the relative positions of the various mechanical elements hereinabove recited may doubtless be made within wide limits without departing from the spirit of this invention, and a considerable rearrangement of the parts may perhaps be found preferable and convenient in adapting the invention to actual practice with clocks and other timekeepers of various sizes and styles. l therefore would not confine myself strictly to the details of construction that l have described, but reserve the liberty of making' such changes as will not sacrifice the advantages of the invention, and which will be in harmony with the obvious intent and scope of the claims hereinafter formulated.

I have now described the essential features of mechanical construction. The operation of these elements in accomplishing the results in view will now be set forth.

Suppose the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. l. Here the numerals from l to l2 are exposed to view. The mechanism that shifts the dial is so situated that the weight B has been drawn toward the support of the inner dial, so that it occupies its position nearest to said support, and the cam H has rotated to the place where the point K of the cam has been removed from contact with the end of the arm \V,.thus permitting the latter to drop, because the weight D, being secured to the dial on one side of the support of the same, is heavier than the dial on the opposite side of the center, which side carries the weight l; hence the side of the dial carrying the weight D over-balances the opposite side. lf now the cam continues its rotation in the direction denoted by the arrow, the point N will immediately come in contact with the end of 'the arm X, and the curved outline of the cam will ride upon the arm X until point K has reached and dropped off the said arm X. All the while that the arm X is riding upon the curved portion of the cam said arm will be held against the cam and prevented from rising', even though the weight B has, in consequence of the continued rotation of the cam and the movement ot' the connecting-rod, been pushed so' far away from the central support of the inner dial as to overbalance the weight D; but when the point K ceases to be in contact with the arm X then the weight B will be permitted to drop, which will cause the dial to rotate and the figures from 18 to i to be brought into view, while the other series from l to 12 is covered. As the weight B falls, obviously the arm X will rise, and likewise the arm lV will be elevated,

since the arms X and \V are relatively stationary, being both secured to the inner dial. The cam will continue its rotation therefore; but this time it will serve to uphold the arm lV and station the dia-l in the posit-ion to which it was previously rotated (even though the weight B slides toward the central support of the dial) until the position of the parts, as shown in Fig. l, is again resumed and the point K drops oft` the arm NV, allowing the heavier side of the dial to overbalance the lighter and shift it back into the position where the figures from l to l2 are shown.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isM

l. In a time-piece, the combination, with a shifting inner dial, of relatively-adjustable weights carried thereby on opposite sides of the central support of said dial and mechanical devices for adjusting the weights, consisting of a cam acting onv projecting points on the dial, a connection between the cam and the weight on the opposite side of the dialcenter, and actuating-gearing for the cam, substantially as describedu 2, ln a time-piece, the combination, with a shifting inner dial, of weights carried thereby IOO on opposite sides of the dial-center, one of said weights being1 normally stationary, while the other is adjustable between points where it will and will not overbalance the other, and

5 mechanical devices forzwljnsting` the niovable Weight, all arranged to operate substantially as described.

In a time-piece, the combination ot' an' I5 nectingrod between the cam and the sliding j weight, and actuating-gearing` for the cani, all arranged to operate as set forth.

4. The combination of the inner dial, Y, the rod C, secured thereto and carrying weight B, the weight and arms X and IV, likewise secured to the dial on the opposite side of the dial-center, the gear G, caniH, attached to said gear, connei'eting-rod I, and actuatinggear F, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence ot' two witnesses.

MARTIN Y. B. ETHRID GE.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR P. CUsHiNG, CHAs. HALL ADAMs. 

